On the afternoon of September 10, this newspaper held a round-table forum on "genetically modified food and public rights". We invited domestic authoritative scientists, government officials, consumers' associations and members of environmental protection organizations to discuss together, gain a deeper understanding of the scientific truth of genetically modified foods, and actively safeguard the public's right to know and choose.
Since last year, this newspaper has made an in-depth investigation on the issue of genetically modified food for more than a year, witnessing the process from being stopped to slowly landing.
We hope to treat genetically modified foods scientifically and rationally with the public, and strive to make new technologies benefit the society without endangering health and the environment.
Is genetically modified food really safe?
Story 1: A Henan reader wrote to the editorial department of this newspaper, thanking the relevant reports for letting her know that her life may also encounter genetically modified food. She began to cry as she spoke. She said that an article retrieved later said that the experimenter put genetically modified corn and traditional corn together. As a result, the mice ate up the traditional corn, but the transgenic corn didn't move at all! The editor comforted her that there is no final conclusion on the safety of genetically modified foods in the world. She's still worried. She doesn't care about herself. As a mother, she can't help thinking about her children's health.
Story 2: "Genetically modified food is not only safe, but even safer than ordinary food." A middle school biology teacher in Beijing said firmly in a TV talk show. She believes that people's fear of genetically modified foods comes from ignorance of genetically modified technology. After reading the introduction of transgenic technology in middle school textbooks, people should rest assured to eat genetically modified food. But a well-known environmentalist at the scene opposed the teacher's point of view.
Are genetically modified foods safe to eat?
Li Ning (Professor of China Agricultural University and Chief Scientist of the National 973 Major Basic Research Project): I dare say that consumers can safely eat genetically modified foods on the market. Because they all have to go through many customs before they can be put on the counter. Compared with ordinary food, any kind of genetically modified food has more tests in safety.
China has set up a genetically modified product inspection committee, of which I am also a member. In our country, genetically modified foods cannot be listed for three years. After us, we have to go through the Ministry of Agriculture.
Qian (researcher, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, former director of Biotechnology Bureau, China Academy of Sciences): I support transgenic technology and pay attention to biosafety. A report published by the Council of the International Federation of Scientists on behalf of more than 65,438+000 scientific research units said that genetically modified foods can be safely eaten. But at the same time, it also warned that this does not guarantee that more and more foods will not be dangerous after being transformed with new functions. Therefore, stronger security testing is needed in the future. As far as I know, scientists have great differences on the long-term impact of genetically modified plants on the environment.
Wu (Director of Beijing Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Management Office): The genetically modified food approved by the government should be reassuring. The introduction of a genetically modified food will take at least six or seven years. Different from general experimental research, it has a series of very strict procedures.
If you get the safety certificate, the genetically modified food must be approved before it goes on the market, otherwise it can't go on the market. In this regard, the government is responsible and will not push a harmful thing to the market and ecology.
How do genetically modified organisms affect the ecological environment
Qian: 1994 I published the first article on biosafety. I don't think I know much about genetically modified food, so I mainly discuss the possible impact of large-scale commercial planting of genetically modified plants on ecology and environment. In this regard, there is a great debate in international academic circles.
In my opinion, this is a very noteworthy problem-genetically modified organisms may have a negative impact on the environment or destroy biodiversity. There are many examples.
There is a genetically modified crop in Canada, which is herbicide-resistant rape. This kind of rape has only been planted for a few years, and many kinds of herbicide-resistant rape have been found in the local area. Some people call it a "super weed", which is difficult to kill. This fact shows that gene drift often occurs in genetically modified foods, especially between the same species and different varieties.
More serious is the problem of Mexican corn. Corn originated in Mexico. In order to prevent genetically modified pollution from affecting the genetic diversity of the whole corn, the Mexican government once stipulated that genetically modified corn should not be planted. However, due to various reasons, American genetically modified corn arrived in Mexico, and the number was still quite large (some of it entered the country as disaster relief materials). The genetic pollution of corn eventually occurred in some areas between the two States of the country. American scientists published molecular evidence of genetic pollution in Nature, and since then, scientists in the magazine have had a heated debate. In 2002, the Mexican Ministry of Environment published a report, which confirmed the fact of genetic pollution. Among them, the genetic contamination rate of maize in some areas reached 35%.
In addition, some scientists use the leaves of milkweed (a weed with genetically modified corn pollen) to feed the larvae of Papilio in the laboratory. Compared with traditional food feeding, it was found that the mortality of Papilio was increased or the growth was slow. Let's not talk about other examples.
Li Ning: I remember when I was a child, there were many fish, frogs and loaches in the farmland. Are there any more today? Why not? Because of the extensive use of pesticides, it has actually destroyed the ecology and affected biodiversity. My father is a doctor and rescues many farmers who are poisoned by pesticides every year.
What can we do today to restore the ecology and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides? Isn't transgenic the best substitute? We know that the cultivation of transgenic insect-resistant cotton has benefited nearly one million farmers. Because there is no genetically modified insect-resistant cotton, it is necessary to apply pesticides five or six times; Now once or twice is enough, and the use of pesticides has been reduced by 80%. In addition, high efficiency also reduces the price of genetically modified crops. This is the reason why transgenic crops can develop rapidly today.
It should be pointed out that it is impossible for us to invent a technology, which has only advantages and no disadvantages. Everyone must accept the fact that science is a process of development.
Money: It is reported that "genetically modified fish" will soon be served on people's tables. Today, agricultural officials confirmed that the commercial production of genetically modified fish has not been approved due to possible safety problems. This makes sense. Because, even if the genetically modified fish is enclosed in a small pond, once it is flooded, the genetically modified fish will be lost and may pollute other fish. Therefore, both at home and abroad are very cautious about this.
Personally, I think genetically modified crops can be regarded as artificial alien species, which may have an impact on the environment after entering nature. It should be noted that transgenic plants have only been planted for more than ten years. The ecological effects of alien species invasion can not be seen in a short time, and some can only be discovered after 40 years. At that time, it was almost impossible to destroy it again.
Water hyacinth, for example, has a great ecological impact on Shanghai. Water hyacinth was introduced at the beginning of last century, and its harm was only recognized at the end of last century. A professor who specializes in water hyacinth told me that it costs at least 654.38 billion yuan or even as much as 500 million yuan to salvage water hyacinth in China every year. Now, water hyacinth has made relevant cities and departments very puzzled.
Li Ning: Mr. Qian also mentioned that if genetically modified fish spread to other rivers through floods, genetically modified insects may be lost after being released into the wild, which is an unavoidable problem.
But the problem will always exist. The key is to solve problems in development. I want to emphasize that it is difficult for scientists and others to see the long-term evaluation of genetically modified organisms. And the division between short-term evaluation and long-term evaluation is not necessarily clear. Because science is constantly improving, it is also a process of continuous understanding-what was once considered harmless may be found harmful in the future. Maybe what we think is harmful now may not be harmful in the future. The media reported many genetically modified events, but compared with the safety inspection of genetically modified animals and plants we do every year, there are very few.
Should we actively develop transgenic technology?
Qian: I gave some interviews some time ago, and I became an opponent of transgenic technology in the media. Some newspapers even gave me a label: resolutely oppose genetically modified technology. In fact, I am not opposed to the development of genetically modified foods and crops; But I think we should attach great importance to biosafety.
Li Ning: I am glad that the biggest "resolute opposition" reported by the media has such an attitude. Transgenic technology will change the concept of agriculture. For example, if we produce some high value-added foods and medicines through genetically modified animals and plants, it will turn agricultural production into an industrial production process. This is the most important symbol of the progress of human civilization.
Xia (Director of university of international business and economics Technical Trade Measures Research Center): I am not a biologist, but I generally agree that the state should vigorously support the development of genetically modified technology industry, but we should consider the national conditions and make some choices; Some places should be promising, and some places should be inaction; We should consider our potential competitive advantage.
At the same time, we must face up to the reality of China's transgenic technology research and industrialization: the research strength is good, and the research level of some products is world-class, but the international competitiveness of most products is almost zero-the technology is in the hands of our academicians and scientists, but enterprises can't see it, let alone industrialization.
Li Ning: Genetically modified fish studied by scientists in China can be industrialized. There have been many achievements in transgenic animals-transgenic cattle are very successful in the United States, China and Canada, and transgenic sheep can make wool longer ... These animals have not been industrialized because the scientific community is very cautious about it. However, the national conditions and land determine that we must use high technology. Several generations of national leaders have mentioned agricultural engineering, and transgenic technology will bring a bright future to our agriculture.
Money: To develop genetically modified foods, we should pay more attention to orderly examination and approval and orderly release. The other is to let farmers and the public know what genetically modified crops are, why we should develop genetically modified technology, what benefits it may bring to us and what harm it may bring.
Is it difficult to realize consumers' right to know?
Story 3: On March 20, 2002, China's "Measures for the Administration of Labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms" and other laws and regulations were formally implemented. Like consumers in Europe and other places, the public in China enjoys the right to know about genetically modified foods in law.
However, from April to June, 2002, China Youth Daily reporter randomly purchased 12 kinds of food from the Beijing market and sent them to the authoritative organization for testing. The results show that many foods contain genetically modified ingredients, but they are not labeled according to law. At the end of 2002, the Hongkong Office of Greenpeace International also carried out random inspection on various domestic foods, and found many genetically modified foods without labels. The announcement of the news triggered a sensational "Nestle Genetically Modified Event".
On the eve of "3. 15" in 2003, Beijing Agriculture Bureau started a large-scale law enforcement inspection of legally labeled genetically modified foods according to the deployment of the Ministry of Agriculture. In early July, all detected genetically modified foods were publicly exposed. At the end of the month, genetically modified foods based on soybean oil in Beijing began to be fully labeled and listed. Since then, Shanghai and other places have also begun to implement the Law on Genetically Modified Foods. One year after the promulgation of national laws and regulations, the public's pending right to know about genetically modified organisms slowly landed.
Story 4: I am a loyal consumer of Nestle products, but I took Nestle to court. In April this year, Miss Zhu from Shanghai formally filed a lawsuit with the court, suing Nestle Switzerland, Shanghai Nestle and Shanghai Carrefour Supermarket, and demanding that Nestle label the genetically modified ingredients on the products.
Miss Zhu studied in Switzerland and visited the headquarters of Nestle. She was deeply impressed by the strict management and superb technology of Nestle. Unexpectedly, Nestle products without genetically modified ingredients actually contain genetically modified ingredients. She thinks this is deliberate concealment and fraud.
No enterprise has taken the initiative to apply for recognition.
Wu: It was more than a year after the regulations were formally implemented that the genetically modified logo first appeared in the Beijing market. I feel that it is difficult to realize the right to know. But from the perspective of government law enforcement, it is not very difficult. Mainly because the Regulation on Genetically Modified Organisms has just been published, a lot of preparatory work needs to be done-establishing law enforcement agencies, establishing law enforcement teams, determining testing agencies, and establishing a set of enforceable national or industrial standards. The above process took only one year.
During this year, no enterprise took the initiative to ask the government to approve the genetically modified label. They generally hold a wait-and-see attitude and are afraid to shoot the first bird. Nobody bids, and I won't bid. If I bid first, I will definitely suffer the most. However, after Beijing announced the test results in early July, enterprises began to take action, and even some enterprises that we did not spot check came.
Ding Shihe (Assistant Secretary-General of China Consumers Association and Director of Consumer Guidance Department): When it comes to the public rights of genetically modified foods, at least three rights are involved-the right to safety, the right to know and the right to choose.
I think the labeling system tells consumers "this is genetically modified food", not "be careful, this is genetically modified food". Logo system is mainly to protect consumers' right to know and respect consumers' right to choose, which reflects a kind of social progress.
Logo itself is a kind of propaganda. If enterprises don't insist, it will be difficult for ordinary people to understand this problem. With this logo, consumers will ask questions to understand this thing, and slowly, this knowledge will be popularized. Failure to mark it is an act of deceiving and misleading the market, which violates the principle of fair trade.
European consumers are the staunchest defenders of genetically modified organisms' right to know. Recently, the United States and the European Union are fighting, and the European Union has given in, allowing genetically modified food to enter, but it must be labeled. Choose on the premise of knowing, so does the International Consumers' Federation.
Wu: There are five categories of products that must be marked published by the Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, including soybeans, tomatoes, rape, cotton and corn. At present, 90% of GMOs approved by the Ministry of Agriculture are soybean oil, while tomatoes and corn are rarely approved. The Ministry of Agriculture exchanges information with us, and once other genetically modified products pass the examination and approval, we will follow up.
It is difficult to guarantee the right to know.
Wu Dong (lawyer of Ye Hui Law Firm): As an attorney for consumers in the Nestle case, we believe that this case reflects the difficulties for consumers to protect their rights in genetically modified foods. Especially facing multinational companies, it is even more difficult. First of all, the case has been turned over to four courts.
In addition, the trial process of the case is long and slow. Nestle (China) Limited even rejected the jurisdiction of the court in China. The case has not been formally filed and is still in the stage of evidence exchange. In the face of multinational companies, such a long and difficult lawsuit, the cost of consumer rights protection is quite high.
This case also reflects that there are many legal problems in the management and labeling of genetically modified foods in China. Up to now, China's legal documents on genetically modified foods are not the basic laws promulgated by the National People's Congress, but only the administrative regulations promulgated by the State Council and the departmental rules promulgated by various ministries and commissions, which have a lower legal rank. In addition, these laws and regulations conflict with basic laws such as the Consumer Protection Law and the Product Quality Law.
For example, according to the Regulations on the Safety Management of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms, genetically modified products that are not listed in the catalogue shall not be labeled, which obviously conflicts with the notification obligation stipulated in the Consumer Protection Law and the Product Quality Law; Article 4 of the Regulations on the Safety Management of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms stipulates that the Ministry of Health is responsible for the supervision and management of the hygiene and safety of genetically modified foods, while Chapter 7 does not give the administrative department of health the power of law enforcement and punishment.
Moreover, even the regulations issued by various departments in the State Council are contradictory. For example, the laws and regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health respectively, multi-head management, actually make enterprises at a loss. Finally, there are loopholes in the regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Agriculture. Item 2 of Article 5 of the Measures for the Administration of Labeling of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms stipulates that products directly processed by genetically modified organisms should be labeled as "genetically modified products (finished products)", but there is no provision on how to label products indirectly processed by genetically modified organisms. In practice, it is difficult to define directly processed products and indirectly processed products. In this case, Nestle submitted to the court that its products are not directly processed products of genetically modified products, but indirectly processed products of genetically modified products, so there is no need to mark them. The Measures for the Administration of Import Safety of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms came into force on March 20, 2002. The Measures for Hygienic Management of Genetically Modified Foods was implemented on July 1 day, 2006. The implementation of these two measures was delayed, which greatly reduced the authority of the law.
Yang Guosheng (Director of Shanghai Ye Hui Law Firm): The Consumer Protection Law, the Product Quality Law and the Contract Law are all basic laws promulgated by the National People's Congress. According to these three laws, genetically modified products or products containing genetically modified ingredients should be marked on the outer packaging or product specifications of the products; Producers, sellers and one party to the contract have the legal obligation to fulfill the notice; All operators who sell goods containing genetically modified ingredients must mark them according to law, and it is not necessary for administrative organs to carry out various law enforcement inspections on the marks of genetically modified enterprises.
We lost some options?
Story 5: China imports more than150,000 tons of soybeans every year, which is basically equivalent to domestic soybean production. Most of the imported soybeans are genetically modified soybeans, estimated to be around100000 tons. Most domestic oil companies use genetically modified soybeans as raw materials, and genetically modified soybean oil accounts for more than 90% in the market.
In June, 2002, five kinds of soybean salad oils sampled by authoritative organizations in Beijing market all contained genetically modified ingredients. In July, 2003, Beijing Agriculture Bureau announced the results of market spot check, and 14 brand soybean oil was all genetically modified food. After this newspaper published the list of genetically modified products, many readers called to ask: Where can I buy non-genetically modified soybean oil? Some people say that we have lost the right to choose soybean oil.
Shi (Director, Biosafety Project, Greenpeace): It is really difficult to buy non-GMO soybean oil in China, especially in coastal areas, except in Northeast China. The right to know is not equal to the right to choose. We should give the public in China the right to buy genetically modified food or non-genetically modified food freely.
China is the hometown of soybean, with more than 30,000 varieties and 60,000 wild soybean germplasm resources, accounting for 90% of the global soybean germplasm resources. Soybean has been cultivated in China for more than 5000 years. Today, soybean is still one of the main grains in China, and it is a crop for 30 million to 40 million farmers to survive.
Greenpeace is not against gene technology. We believe that if used properly, gene technology can bring great benefits to human beings, such as its application in medicine. But consumers have the right to know and the right to choose.
Xia: We don't know if genetically modified soybeans are safe, but there are only genetically modified soybeans on the market now, so we have no choice. What shall we do? This is a very good market opportunity-the demand for soybeans in China is in short supply, with an annual gap of 6.5438+million tons. Why not support the development of domestic soybean industry?
Money: Now that a large number of genetically modified soybeans are imported from the United States, it is difficult to ensure that no one grows them in China. Soybeans in China should never go the way of Mexican corn.
Shi: Chang Ruzhen, a researcher at the Institute of Crop Variety Resources of China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, once warned: "If China plants genetically modified soybeans, it is likely to repeat the mistakes of Mexican corn, causing genetic pollution ... Once the original characteristics of wild soybeans are destroyed, genetic diversity will be destroyed, seriously threatening food security."
What about non-GMO soybeans in China?
Xia: We should give full consideration to the benefits brought by transgenic technology. We support transgenic technology, but we should also consider national security and issues concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers. Because in the WTO negotiations on trade-related intellectual property rights, the most heated debate is that the traditional knowledge and technology of developing countries have been taken away by others. 1994, an American expert went to a place in China, took our wild soybean and applied for a patent in 10 1 country. Thailand's fragrant rice has also applied for a patent in the United States, which is very troublesome.
We should fully understand the benefits of genetic modification. Our genetically modified products are not competitive enough, so talk less and do more and do well. What worries me most is that the soybean problem involves the interests of 46 million farmers.
We should consider the problems of farmers and whether it is worthwhile to genetically modify soybean products in China. It is understood that the output of genetically modified soybeans in the United States is not much higher than that of traditional soybeans. Some production even dropped by 3% to 5%. In addition, many pesticides are used. There are dozens of foreign reports about the impact of eating genetically modified soybeans on human health.
S: In March 2003, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it would build Northeast China into the world's largest non-genetically modified high-oil soybean production area within five years. China's soybean losses are related to the economic lifeline of Northeast China, the livelihood of tens of millions of soybean farmers, and the status of China's soybean hometown.
Xia: How to support the development of domestic soybean industry is an urgent problem. I think the development strategy of soybean industry in China is a national plan, not a farmers' plan. It is also necessary to formulate soybean industry policies and establish soybean industry associations. The American Soybean Industry Association is very powerful, and the annual fund for activities alone is 80 million US dollars. What do we have?
I think Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin all have great potential to develop green organic soybeans. Because soybean fields in Northeast China are not like cotton, they don't need much pesticides and fertilizers. With a little support, the output will go up. Therefore, we should vigorously develop our own advantageous industries, especially green food and organic food.
History: The non-GMO advantages of domestic soybeans are becoming more and more obvious in the market. The price of non-GM soybeans is generally higher than that of GM soybeans. Last year, China exported 270,000 tons of soybeans, more than 70% of which were exported to Japanese, Korean and European markets that rejected genetically modified foods.
Xia: I visited 65,438+00 places in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia last year, which was very difficult for farmers in China. 1 year, the United States gives billions of subsidies to soybean farmers, but our farmers still have to give 1 mu of soybeans to 40 yuan for retention. This is the whole system problem, unfair competition. Do we support soybeans? Last year, the soybean revitalization plan was finally carried out, but it was not paid by the government.
As the largest soybean importer in the world, China imported13 of the world's genetically modified soybeans in 2006. But we didn't consider how to affect the world price. We are not price leaders, but price drivers. Now, the price of soybeans we import is the highest in the world. The protective price of American beans 10 ton, 183 dollars, has now been fried to more than 250 dollars. What is this concept? China imports 1 ton of soybeans, which is equivalent to subsidizing American farmers by $67.
History: It is necessary to promote the development of non-GMO soybeans, ensure that the northeast soybean producing area becomes a "non-GMO pure land" and seize the high-priced non-GMO soybean market; Promote consumers to buy non-GM foods, and guide food producers and raw material suppliers to increase their demand for non-GM soybeans.
The safety of genetically modified food is still inconclusive internationally. Buying foods made from non-GMO soybeans is not only the health protection for consumers and their families, but also helps China revitalize soybeans. Our reporter Zhang finishing